Almost all marketing professionals believe their role will look ‘fundamentally different’ in five years, but most believe human input is becoming more distinct.
Marketers believe the sector is in the throes of an AI-fuelled shift which is reshaping the industry.
Almost all (97%) believe their role will look “fundamentally different” in five years, cementing marketing as one of the industries most significantly impacted by AI.
The same number (97%) still believe that creative output should stay “distinctly human”, according to Superside survey of marketing professionals at director-level and above.
AI’s impact on marketing is expected to last, with 76% saying AI-assisted creative production represents a permanent shift.
Two-thirds (65%) think AI will be the single biggest force reshaping how their teams work in the next five years – illustrating just how fast the industry is moving.
This is not without its reservations though – more than half (51%) of respondents said their biggest concern is AI leading to poor creative judgment. This leaves space for human voices to become more important, with respondents estimating that strategic creative direction and concept development (53%), brand guardianship (47%), and creative experimentation and risk taking (43%) will all become more valuable as AI evolves.
Almost half (44%) expect AI to look after admin tasks like handling audience insights and performance analysis, without supervision, in the next three-to-five years, as well as handling brand and style applications (39%).
The most prominent way this will show is expected to be in AI augmented review and approval cycles, which 45% of respondents believe will have the greatest impact on quality.
This is expected to lead to a higher number of hybrid roles, with 46% reporting a blending of creative and data roles will soon become a permanent part of marketing.
Roles will most likely be expanded as AI begins to free up time by assisting with administrative tasks, and 59% expect AI-augmented generalists to become more important.
Despite the seismic impact AI has had on the marketing world, not everyone is convinced this is as big a story as it seems, with 50% of marketing professionals saying Al replacing creative roles entirely is the most overhyped in the industry right now.
